So far this season, the Global RallyCross Championship has been more notable for seriously injuringits competitors than giving them a chance to race. One race featured more red flags than a Chinese military parade and others notably few chances to pass.

Ever wonder what would happen if a car didn't make it over one of those rather pointless jump…
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This weekend's GRC match in New Hampshire finally brought together all the elements that should make the series fun to watch. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

If you missed Saturday's race you can go to ESPN3 and skip through all the filler.

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GRC, for those unaware, is an Americanization of the many European originals that pits high-powered, fairly unrestricted rally cars against one another on short tracks. After qualifying, drivers compete to make it to the final race through a series of heats (and a loser's last-chance qualifying bracket).

While Group B rally cars were terrorizing Europe's forests in the early Eighties, equally…
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Sounds awesome, right? This year it's had its highlights (like Ken Block racing to 2nd in the X-Games on three tires), but most of the talk has centered around the two big crashes at the X-Games. There's also been a fear that the tracks were both too dangerous (thanks to ramps) and too boring (thanks to a Tilke-like lack of passing and no dirty). And then there's that rampant red-flagging due to mis-starts.

I don't have enough intel into the decision-making process with the GRC rule-makers to know for sure, but I've heard from a source that the drivers have been vocal in getting them to address the problems.

Whatever happened, it started to work yesterday. Each heat went off with only a limited number of red flags. With one exception, the battles didn't end with everyone crashing out. The ramp was still there, but padded like a training bra at a Jr. High dance. There was dirt, there were jumps, there was honest-to-God passing.

And then there was Travis Pastrana. Everyone likes Pastrana. He's got a wide goofy grin that hides all the broken bones, bruises, and bad finishes he's had this season. If there's a living embodiment of this season he's it. Each race so far this year ended in some sort of external or internal tragedy.

Whenever someone would ask he'd say "we've got a great car and a great team" but I started to wonder. Was it just bad luck?

Apparently so. In the best heat of the GRC this year, the final saw Pastrana overcome a hard-charging Tanner Foust and hold off Samuel Hubinette for a tight victory.

At the end of the race the winners were: Dodge, Saab, and Ford. Where else are you going to find that kind of finish?